Thousands of children in Gaza have now been admitted to hospitals for malnutrition, but even as they waste away, doctors’ options for treating them have depleted.
Gazans are fighting over the last cans of food, malnourished mothers are struggling to make milk for their thinning babies, and doctors have begun counting down the days before the slow deaths by starvation begin to happen en masse.
“Within one week, we will see a severe starvation,” Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, head of pediatrics and obstetrics at Nasser Hospital, told NBC News.
The besieged enclave is under its longest blockade of humanitarian aid since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, as Israel’s total ban on the entry of all goods, including food, fuel and medical supplies, enters its third month. Despite international outrage, Israel has not only kept the gates shut for the past 63 days, but the security Cabinet is voting Sunday night to expand its offensive in Gaza.
For weeks, families were surviving on very little — fewer meals and smaller spoonfuls — and each day has brought a new low of deprivation.